1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to barges and particularly to barges for supporting construction equipment in open water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Barges are commonly used to support construction equipment, such as cranes, in open water during construction projects in or near inland rivers or lakes, for example. Due to the weight of the equipment supported by the barge, mats and/or other rigid support structures may be positioned atop the deck of the barge to facilitate the distribution of the weight of the construction equipment across the entirety of the deck of the barge. This allows for a barge to support an increased amount of weight, such that the construction barge may support large cranes, without causing permanent deformation of the deck of the barge.
In order to form the deck of a barge that will be used in conjunction with construction equipment, individual metal plates are welded together. For example, in a known barge design, individual metal plates that are approximately one-quarter of an inch thick are welded to one another. Once welded together, the plates form a panel that is sized to extend between opposing side walls and end walls of the barge. If modifications to the plates are necessary to accommodate the specific design of a particular side wall or end wall of the barge, material may be removed from the plates using a torch or plasma cutter. The plates are then connected directly to the side and end walls of the barge, such as by welding. The plates are also connected to internal support structures that are formed within the barge and that extend between opposing top and bottom sides of the barge. The process of forming the deck of the barge is then repeated to form the bottom surface of the barge. This results in the formation of a watertight structure having a continuous top and bottom surface.
In order to increase the strength of the deck of a barge, extruded or roll form products may be used. Such products are commercially available from Roll Form Group of Mississauga, Ontario. However, extruded or roll form products often have complex cross-sectional shapes, varying thicknesses, and/or layers that are spaced apart from one another. For example, extruded or roll form products may be elongate and form tubular channels that make modification of the product difficult. When used for a deck of a barge, the modification of the edges of the extruded or roll form product, such as by plasma cutting or machining, which is necessary to match the edges of the extruded or roll form product to the exterior of the barge in order to form a watertight seal, is difficult. As a result, forming a deck of a barge from extruded or roll form product is both time consuming and expensive.